February Monthly Meeting: Neurodiversity in the Workplace

On February 10, WLI hosted its first monthly meeting of the Spring 2021 semester over Zoom.  The presentation was called “Neurodiversity in the Workplace”, and was presented by Dr. Jessica Joseph, Ph.D. and BCBA.  Dr. J is the Director of Programs at the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support at SJU.

The meeting began with Dr. J defining neurodiversity and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  After giving participants a better understanding of ASD, Dr. J shared some statistics that gave insight into how people with ASD contribute to workplace productivity. She cited studies, which show that neurodiverse teams can be 30% more productive than neurotypical teams.  This, among other facts and theories, prepared participants with strategies and standards for working with both neurodiverse and neurotypical people. Dr. J also gave more insight into how participants can create workspaces and environments that support neurodiverse employees and help them thrive.

After Dr. J concluded her prepared presentation, she answered questions from students. She provided WLI members with advice on how to be an ally to neurodiverse people while in college and the classroom, so they can make these strategies a habit before entering the workforce.

We would like to thank Dr. J and  so much for joining us and WLI co-president Maddie DeMarco and WLI vice president Raeghan Smith for planning this meeting.